


We Are Forever Young (At Heart)

by cuddlesandcas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, De-Aged Castiel, De-Aged Dean, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Mild Language, Season 8, Team Free Will Big Bang 2014, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, implied Sevin, it's there if you squint, non-sexual nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-05
Updated: 2014-12-06
Packaged: 2018-02-28 07:30:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2723894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddlesandcas/pseuds/cuddlesandcas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A witch hunt goes haywire and Sam is forced to babysit little Dean and Cas until he can figure out how to turn them back. Kids can be pretty unpredictable - who knows what they can get up to?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've written in probably over 3 years and man am I glad I decided to do a one for the TFW Big Bang to break that rut. There's not enough kid-fic out there in the world and I'm rectifying that. This fic wouldn't be here if it weren't for [bluesilktie's](http://www.bluesilktie.tumblr.com) super adorable art which can be found [here](http://bluesilktie.tumblr.com/post/85069217464/here-sfor-you-whats-this-dean-a-rock). I just had to write up an entire story around it because it was so damn adorable, so go check her out, you won't regret it.
> 
> First off, major thanks to [senpaismegane](http://www.senpaismegane.tumblr.com) and [chiriruro](http://www.chiriruro.tumblr.com) who are amazing friends and awesome pinch-hit beta readers (especially when one of them isn't even in the fandom, ily bby), and also to [wishywalshy](http://www.wishywalshy.tumblr.com) for being awesome in general and volunteering to read this in the first place
> 
> Thank you soooo much to my absolutely lovely artist [paxdracona](http://www.paxdracona.tumblr.com) who made such cute art for my fic. Go check out her other lovely art and her [baby-angels](http://www.ask-the-baby-angels.tumblr.com) blog if you want more kiddie cuteness because her angel kid!Cas is super freakin adorable
> 
> You can find her art post for the fic [here](http://scribblyscratch.tumblr.com/post/104440671906/for-the-tfwbigbang-the-lovely-applepiedean-wrote) and you can find me [here](http://www.starprincecas.tumblr.com)

                                                              

 

Dean hates witches.

Hates, hated, will hate – it’s all accurate since he’s never gonna like a witch. There’s not a person out there who could change his opinion about those magical bitches.

He’d never understand people like them who’d be willing to give up their souls and nice little cookie-cutter lives for magic and power and the ability to make people miserable with the flick of a wrist and some magical spells. Wait, no, the idiots who make deals with crossroads demons are kinda like that too, but it’s marginally different since those guys have an inkling of whatever stupidity they’re about to commit.

He’s sure he’d be living a much happier life if these idiots knew better to leave well enough alone.

That didn't mean that he didn't  enjoy cases where they had to track down a witch or a coven, 'cuz it just meant he got a chance to rid the world of a few of those damn witches.

Witches, man.

Anyways, this new case was supposed to be like any old case. Find the witch, convince her to stop (Sam would want to try that at least), failing that, gank her. End of story.

Simple, right?

 

Yeah, not so much.

 

\--

 

He and Sam had been searching for cases online when they'd come across a few articles about weird goings on of people rapidly aging or outright disappearing in a lil suburb area in Bennett, Colorado. All signs pointed to a witch.

Cas – being as powered down as he was now, to the point that he’s practically human – needed to start getting some practical experience on how to handle witches. Him and Sam would be there to help Cas learn the ropes. Besides, they'd handled worse.

So, they’d packed up and headed off from the bunker. 

 

\--

 

Dean sometimes wonders if there’s a universe out there where witches aren't a real thing and wishes he was born there. Well actually, he wishes for a universe where a lot of the shit he has to deal with didn't exist; there’s a lot of things he wishes for – none of which he actually intends to ever admit to anyone or even himself most of the time. Dad would say there’s no point in wishing for shit that ain't ever gonna happen and that he’d better get his goddamn head out of the clouds and back on the mission.

He’s veering off topic a bit; what he meant was that he’d be pretty damn happy (read: fucking ecstatic) if witches were a thing of myth rather than something he has to deal with. Especially since taking one down occasionally meant splitting up to surround her.

Splitting up is generally not that bad of an idea, it's a pretty successful one as far as the Winchester track record goes. Case-wise rather than life-wise.

Anyways.

This time it wasn't so much of a good idea as it was a bad one. They really should have expected a trap.

 

\--

 

They’d decided that splitting up to canvas the entire two-story house would be the quickest and most efficient method; find the spell book, hex bags and witch and get rid of all of it as fast as possible – the quicker the hunt’s done, the happier they all are.

Dean didn't exactly like the fact that splitting up meant he had to send Cas off on his own, but hey, Cas is a big boy not-quite-angel, he can take care of himself. He’s a relatively capable, self-sufficient dude and besides, they’d cover more ground quicker this way. Logic trumped what he’d prefer to do, which is never let Cas out of his sight.

The plan was that Cas would take the upstairs level, Sam would scout around outside before taking the basement, which left Dean with the main level of the house.

Splitting up of course meant that Dean found the witch and inevitably ended up facing her by himself. It would be just him and her, facing off in her kitchen. Eh, he’d handled worse on his own.

“Who the hell are you and what’re you doing in my house?” the woman asks as soon as she notices him in the kitchen doorway, turning to face him properly.

“You seriously think you can go around turning people into old codgers and no one was gonna notice anything? Take a few guesses as to why I’m here.”

“Good luck with trying to stop me.” She snorts.

“What exactly do you have against these folks that you go around speeding up their clocks?” Dean asks, slowly edging his way into the kitchen.

“Let’s just say some people need to learn to grow up a bit and I was giving them a nudge.”

“Yeah, so apparently going through menopause made you think you had the right to pick on other folks?”

“I’m 35, asshole.” She spat.

“Where are the people that went missing?” Dean demands.

“Oh, they’re _around_. Not quite human though. Can’t guarantee they’re alive either, life is short and fickle like that.”

“You got a sick sense of humor, you know that lady?”

“I happen to think I’m quite funny myself.” She replies, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

“You have no clue what you’re dealing with by playing with magic, lady. So if you won’t stop, I’m gonna have to stop you myself.” Dean says, reaching for the gun tucked in the waistband of his jeans. The kitchen island was in between them but if he moved fast enough he could get a kill shot in.

“Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you. Who’s to say I can’t cast a spell on you faster than you can draw your gun and shoot me?” she asks, an amused glint in her eyes.

“Let’s just say I have faith in my reflexes.”

She’s quicker than he expects her to be and is already halfway through casting her spell before he’s able to turn off the safety and train his gun at her.

“DEAN!” someone shouts.

It’s the last thing he hears before something collides into him and everything goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify, this takes place in a different season 8, one where Cas got out of Purgatory with Dean and he's pretty weak after being there for so long. As such things progressed quite a bit differently.


	2. Chapter 2

No, no, no.

This _cannot_ be happening. Sam’s luck really sucks. _Of course_ he'd have to go and kill the witch in front of her kids. He's probably traumatized them. He'll learn to live with that along with all the other mistakes he's made and just hope that he hasn’t created a vendetta in them to avenge their mom.

The two little brats are staring at him, wide-eyed and curious. Before he can say anything to calm them down in case they’re in the mood to scream, the younger one – a kid of about four years old with unruly dirty blond hair and smattering of freckles on his face – decides to speak.

"Sammy?" the little kid inquires.

...Oh, no. Nope. This is not happening. This is just a dream, or possibly a new strain of nightmare that his brain concocted for him. There is no way that these two kids are his brother and Cas. No way.

Except.

There's no other explanation for the fact that these two kids are drowning in t-shirts he could swear Cas and Dean had been wearing earlier. Along with the fact that they're standing in the pile of clothes that they were definitely wearing earlier. It'd be too much to hope that the witch just stripped them and stowed them away somewhere else in the house.

"Sammy, why you so old?"

 

_Why is this his life?_

 

\--

 

Sam takes a few minutes to assess the situation and the depths of how badly Dean and Cas were affected by the spell, only to find out that not only has the witch somehow de-aged them physically, but mentally as well. So, not only are Dean and Cas physically toddlers, they currently possess the mental capacity of other children their age.

Great. Just, great.

Of course this would be his luck, why wouldn't it be? Fate’s never seemed to be particularly fond of Sam Winchester in the first place; no reason things would suddenly be easy for him.

He’s grateful for the small miracle – ‘ _heh, ironic choice of words’_ Sam thinks– that even though they don’t seem to remember much, they do recognize and vaguely remember him to some extent. He doesn't know how that works, but he isn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth considering the alternative would be convincing two children that he’s here to help them and not kidnap or kill them.

Having taken stock of the situation, he moves on to the next order of business which is to get the kids some proper clothing. There’s no telling how long they’d be stuck like this. He doesn't care for the thought of being held responsible for letting two little preschoolers run amok in the nude.

Lost in thought on potential solutions for the current dilemma, his eyes wander and he catches sight of the clothes on the neighbor’s clothesline.

“Stay here.” He orders the kids before he walks to the windows at the front of the house to peer outside.

No cars in the neighbor’s driveway. Good, that meant no one was home. If he was careful, he could ‘borrow’ some clothes for Dean and Cas until he got them some of their own.

 

\--

 

With a little bit of stealth, which doesn't come easy for someone as tall as him, he’s able to procure an outfit each for Dean and Cas. Dean’s ended up being a bit big on him but it’d have to do for now.

Having outfitted Cas and Dean in proper kid’s clothes for the time being, he deposits the kids in the backseat of the Impala and drives them off to the nearest Walmart. On the way, he tries giving Kevin a call to give him a heads up on the situation. After a few more attempts with no success he gives up, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat.

It’s only once they arrive at Walmart that Sam realizes it'd be too risky leaving his de-aged brother and angel in the car. There’s no telling what they could get up to. He’d also probably be in violation of some child care laws. It looks like he'd have to take them with him for this impromptu shopping trip. He gets out of the Impala, opens the back door and squats down to be at eye level with the kids.

"We're gonna go in and get some supplies, so I'm gonna need you two to behave, okay? No asking for everything in sight." Sam says.

“Okay, Sammy.”

“Yes, Sam.”

“Good. Let’s go.” The kids scramble quickly out of the car. Sam closes the car door once they’re out, picks Dean up and props him on his hip, then takes a hold of Cas’ hand and walks into the store.

 

                                                                     

 

Once in the store, he makes a beeline for the shopping carts and deposits Dean in the kid seat.

After making sure that Dean’s properly seated, they make their way to the kid’s clothes section. There’s no telling how long the two of them are gonna be stuck like this so it’s best to get them a few changes of clothes at least. His eyes wander down to Cas who’s walking next to him, clutching onto his pant leg and staring at everything curiously. His eyes go lower and, _oh_ , they’re gonna need to buy shoes.

“What we doin’, Sammy?” Dean asks.

“We’re gonna buy some more clothes for you and Cas.”

“I wan’ t’help!”

“Alright. But no running off, okay?” Sam says before hoisting him out of the shopping cart.

“‘Kay!” Dean agrees happily.

Dean wanders around looking at the clothes but stays within eyesight as promised. After a few minutes, Dean comes bounding back to him excitedly, narrowly avoiding tripping and falling flat on his face in his excitement.

“Sammy! Found a shirt fo’ you!” Dean proclaims loudly, thrusting a t-shirt up at Sam that depicts a silhouette of a T-Rex with the words ‘Samosaurus’ printed next to it. Sam lets out a quiet snort.

“That’s nice Dean, but it’s too small for me.”

“Tha’s ‘cuz you a Sam-oh-saw-us.” Dean replies, giggling.

“Funny. Did you find anything you’d like for yourself?” Sam asks.

“Yeah! C’mon, I’ll show you.” Dean says, grabbing onto Sam’s hand, attempting and failing to drag Sam behind him.

“Just a sec, Dean.” Sam says before he turns to Cas. “You gonna be okay here for a few minutes, Cas?”

“Yes, Sam.” Cas replies before turning back to the lowest stack of shirts in front of him and giving them his undivided attention.

 

\--

 

It takes almost an hour to get the both of them a few t-shirts and pants as well two pairs of shoes each – who knew kids could be so picky. At the half hour mark he’d ended up getting exasperated and throwing in some plain t-shirts and a few plaid button-ups into the cart. Anything to speed up the process that was clothes shopping with a bunch of children.

_‘I’m not sure if it’d have been better or worse if she’d turned them into babies.’_ Sam wonders to himself, and then shudders at the thought of diaper changes and screaming babies.

In the end, Sam’s able to get all the stuff they’d need - clothes, shoes, toothbrushes, etc. He almost buys them car seats, but he’s attempting to be optimistic that the situation will be resolved quickly enough so that he won’t need to buy them.

Sam’s never been a fan of long shopping trips, so he’s happy to finally head over to the checkout counter. They’re halfway past the toy aisle with Dean babbling happily at Sam about his new Batman sneakers when he realizes he can’t feel Cas gripping onto his pant leg anymore. He turns back to see that Cas is staring at a shelf of plushies in fascination. He turns the cart around and heads towards where Cas is still standing.

“Hey buddy, you found something you like?” Sam asks, kneeling down to meet Cas’ eyes.

Cas peers at him shyly through his eyelashes before nodding. He points at a large stuffed bee toy with little beady eyes and a cute little smile stitched on.

Sam hesitates for a moment before coming to a decision. “Do you want it, Cas?”

Cas stares at him in wide-eyed surprise.

“Yes.” He answers immediately, and then remembers himself. “Please.”

“Then you can have it.” Sam replies, nodding at the plush toy with a smile. The grin he gets in return is blindingly bright.

Dean sulks a bit at Cas’ new toy but he brightens up once Cas promises to share it with him.

Cas doesn't let go of the plush toy until they reach the checkout counter. He reluctantly hands it over to get scanned after Sam promises he’ll get it back right after.

It’s already early noon by the time they leave the place, the sun high up in the sky and beating heat down. Lebanon’s more than five hours away if you don’t account for traffic; their impromptu shopping trip ended up putting them more behind schedule than Sam had initially expected. They’d be lucky if they reached the bunker by early to mid-evening.

 

\--

 

They’d only covered about a third of the distance to get back to the bunker when Dean starts fussing.

“Sammy, I’m hungwy.” Dean whines, kicking at the front seat best as he can with his little legs. “Huuuungwy.”

There’s barely any traffic on the road, so Sam turns quickly to glare at Dean.

“What?” Dean says, wide-eyed and pretending to be innocent.

“No kicking the seat.” Sam says sternly, giving him a look through the rearview mirror. “We’ll stop at the next diner to have lunch, so behave.”

They’re in luck because Sam spots a roadside diner a few miles ahead.

The overhead sign’s old and worn out and the diner itself looks like its seen better days, but they've eaten in worse looking places before so they’ll survive. It’s the only option since there’s no way he’s gonna buy junk food from the gas station to feed the kids.

They decide to sit in a corner booth, Sam on one side, Dean and Cas on the other. Within a few minutes, the waitress – a short lady with mousy brown hair and kind eyes – heads over to their table. She smiles at them and hands them the menu.

“Aww what lil cuties, they yours?” the waitress asks, reaching down to pinch Cas’ cheeks. Cas remains quiet through the cheek pinching, only deigning to frown up at her.

“They’re my brother’s kids. I promised I’d look after them for a few days.” Sam responds smoothly.

“You’re a doll, ain't ya? Call me when you’re ready to order.” She says, winking at Sam before walking away. Once she’s gone, Cas leans forward as if he’s about to impart some secret.

“We’re not your nephews, Sam.” Cas whispers loudly, frown still plastered on his face.

“I know, I know, this is a game, okay? Can you guys play along?” Sam asks.

Dean nods eagerly – excited at the prospect of a secret game – and nudges Cas to get him to agree. Cas is still frowning but he agrees to it. Sam forgot how serious Cas used to always look before, though the frown now just makes him look like the sullen six year old that he currently is.

After a few minutes the waitress comes back, notepad in hand. “You boys ready to order?”

“Yeah, I’ll have a turkey club sandwich with a side of fries. And a cup of coffee, please.” He replies with a smile, handing her back the menu.

“Alrighty, and what’ll you boys have?” she asks, turning to Cas and Dean.

“Unca Sam, I wan’ _that_ , pretty please?” Dean pleads, struggling with the hard r’s and making ‘pretty’ sound more like ‘pwitty’ . He directs a puppy-eyed look at Sam while pointing at a picture of a plate of chicken fingers.

“One order of chicken fingers. What do you want, Cas?”

“…I don’t know.” Cas replies, staring at the items on the menu with a perplexed frown.

“The grilled cheese is a popular option” the waitress suggests. Cas thinks for a few seconds and then nods.

“Okay, so a turkey club with fries and coffee, a grilled cheese and chicken fingers. Coming right up.” She takes the menus back from them, heading into the diner’s kitchen with their order.

Luckily for Sam and the relatively non-existent patience of the kids, the waitress arrives with their food quickly.

“Cas, wanna try my chick’n fingers?” Dean asks, sliding the plate towards Castiel. He takes a piece and chews slowly before swallowing, pleased with the taste.

“They’re yummy. Thank you, Dean.” Cas replies with a smile. Dean grins back.

“Wanna try mine?” Cas asks, offering Dean half of his grilled cheese. Dean takes it happily and takes a bite. “‘S good. We can share.” He says, pushing his plate back to Cas again to offer more of his chicken fingers to him.

The rest of their lunch is spent in relative silence, interrupted only once or twice by the waitress coming by to refill Sam’s coffee.

As soon as they’re done with lunch, they’re back in the Impala and on the road again.

“Where we goin’?” Dean asks.

“A safe place. Hopefully one where we’ll get answers to fix this.” Sam says, muttering the last part to himself.

 

\--

 

It takes about three more hours before they finally drive into Lebanon. The kids end up spending most of the trip dozing in the backseat. Sam enjoys the peace and quiet of the drive; he has no illusions about this being a regular occurrence if the spell isn't undone soon so he’s determined to enjoy it while he can.

Since Lebanon isn't exactly the biggest city in Kansas, it doesn't take him long to drive up to the bunker. Once he’s parked by the bunker’s entrance, he wakes the kids up, grabs up all of the stuff he can carry in one trip from the trunk – he’ll come back up for the rest later – and heads inside, kids in tow.

Sam dumps all their stuff by one of the tables in the library, listening for any sounds of Kevin’s presence in the bunker and hears nothing. It’s odd that he wasn't already in the library since he usually enjoys working there more often than not.

“Kevin! Kev, you here?!” Sam yells.

“There’s no need to shout, jeez. Tablet reading is enough of a headache without you screaming my head off.” Kevin says as he walks into the library.

He stops and stares. “Uh Sam, I think some kids snuck into the bunker with you.”

Sam snorts.

“Yeah, no. Kevin, that’s Cas and Dean.”

“You’re joking.” Kevin says, deadpan. But there’s no humor in Sam’s face to indicate he’s trying to pull a fast one on him. “…You’re not joking. What happened?”

“Witch hunt gone wrong. They were still like this even though I got rid of the witch and I have no clue how to change them back.” Sam replies, running a hand through his already messy hair and making it messier.

“Huh.” Kevin says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully before turning his attention to the kids. They’re no longer hiding behind Sam’s gigantic, tree trunk legs. “You kids hungry?”

Cas and Dean look at Sam in askance to see whether it’s okay for them to answer. He smiles and nods encouragingly. They look back to Kevin and nod.

“Let’s go get you some grub. Come on.” He says, walking off to the bunker’s kitchen, kids trailing behind him like lost puppies. Sam stares after them for a few seconds, shakes his head and goes back up to collect the rest of the stuff from the Impala.

 

\--

 

After Sam’s dropped off the rest of the stuff in the library, he heads off to the kitchen and finds the kids seated at the table watching Kevin make them what looks like PB&J sandwiches. He hesitates in the doorway for a bit, watching the scene play out.

“You ever had PB&J sandwiches before, Cas?” Kevin asks over his shoulder.

“No.” Cas answers solemnly.

“PB&J san’wiches are awesome Cas!” Dean exclaims, giving him a toothy grin.

“If you say so, Dean.” Cas replies just as Kevin sets down two plates of sandwiches for them. Dean reaches for one and digs in immediately.

“Fanks, Kefin.” Dean says through the mouthful of sandwich he’s chewing.

“No talking while eating, you might choke.” Kevin chastises.

Dean stares at him wide-eyed for a second before swallowing and mumbling a quiet ‘sorry’.

Cas reaches over for a sandwich for himself. He takes a bite, chews for a second before scrunching up his face in disgust.

“You don’t like it?” Kevin asks.

“It tastes…weird.” Cas replies, setting the sandwich back down and pushing the plate away.

Kevin looks thoughtful. “What about peanut butter and banana? Does that sound okay? It’s what I’m making for myself.”

Cas hesitates before slowly nodding.

“Guess you’re not a big fan of grape jelly, huh?” Kevin asks as he moves to the counter to make a new batch of sandwiches. It’s around then that he notices Sam standing awkwardly in the doorway.

“There’s sandwich fixings in the fridge if you want to make something for yourself.” Kevin says, inclining his head in the direction of the refrigerator.

“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll have Cas’ PB&J.” Sam replies, moving over to sit next to Dean and pulling Cas’ plate to himself.

“I tried calling you on the way to give you a heads up but you weren't answering your phone.” Sam says, chewing slowly.

Kevin stops halfway through making sandwiches to start patting down his pants pockets in search of his cell phone. He pulls it out only to find that the battery had apparently died at some point.

“Crap, I forgot to charge my phone yesterday.” Kevin says, putting his phone away and getting back to making dinner for himself and Cas.

“Figured that might’ve been the case.” Sam says, polishing off a sandwich. He munches on another, chewing thoughtfully before deciding to comment on something that had been niggling at him. “You’re handling this situation surprisingly well.”

“Prophet of the Lord isn't exactly a normal job – weird comes with the job description. This isn't enough to faze me.” Kevin replies, bringing over the new plate of sandwiches and seating himself next to Cas. Sam stares at him, eyebrows raised, a skeptical expression on his face. So Kevin elaborates.

“I used to be a baby-sitter for a while, back before all this,” he says, waving his hand loosely to indicate what ‘this’ was.

Sam looks surprised at the information.

“What? I’m good with kids and it was an easy way to make money when things were tight.” Kevin replies, biting into his sandwich. “Besides s’not like life’s as easy for us law abiding citizens.”

Sam shakes his head and laughs.

 

\--

 

Since cracking their half of the demon tablet is put on hold for the time being until they can undo the spell, Sam and Kevin hunker down in the library with whatever books they can find on spell breaking. Sam gives Dean and Cas some coloring books and crayons he had the foresight to purchase along with the clothes.

The boys remain relatively well behaved, whispering occasionally to each other but otherwise quiet. They all go about with their work with the soundtrack of the occasional turning page and the sounds of crayons rubbing on paper.

Things carry on this way for a few hours and it’s not until the kids are yawning and rubbing at their eyes that he realizes that it’s long past time that they should have been put to bed.

“C’mon guys, time for bed.”

“We’re not ti-” Dean interrupts himself with a huge yawn “-red. Right, Cas?”

They both turn to look at Cas who’s fallen fast asleep, head drooping onto his chest.

“Cas!” Dean nudges his shoulder roughly.

Cas jolts awake, looking sleepy and confused. “Dean?”

“You don’t wanna go t’bed yet, do ya?”

“Of course not, Dean.” Cas replies, rubbing at his eyes.

Before Sam can retort with something about how that’s clearly not the case, Kevin interrupts him. “You guys don’t need to go to sleep, but you do need to brush your teeth and get changed into your pajamas. You can stay up, but in bed.”

Sam’s not sure how well Kevin’s plan will work but the kids agree to it.

With Kevin’s help, Sam’s able to get them changed into their pajamas and brush their teeth in short order before shepherding them off to bed.

Since Cas had never actually needed to sleep before, they’d never gotten around to setting up a room for him. None of the other rooms in the bunker are ready for anyone to sleep in so they decide to put the both of them in Dean’s room for the time being since his bed is big enough for them to sleep in comfortably. Dean and Cas have no qualms about sleeping in the same bed though Cas insists on his bee plushie sleeping with them.

“Buzzy has to come sleep too.” Cas says sleepily, punctuating his sentence with a yawn.

“Buzzy?” Sam asks.

“Bee. He’s in the library.” Cas replies, blinking up at him sleepily.

“Right. You stay here, I’ll go get him for you.” Sam says, trotting off quickly to get Cas his bee plushie. He finds him propped up in one of the library chairs. He grabs it up and heads back to Dean’s room to give it back to a much happier six year old.

“Thanks, Sam.” Cas says, hugging Buzzy to his chest.

“No problem.” Sam replies, ruffling Cas’ hair. “Kevin and I are gonna head off to bed too, so you guys better go to sleep at some point.”

“G’night, Sammy.”

“Goodnight, Sam.”

“Night guys.” Sam walks out of the room, bringing the door to close till it’s only slightly ajar to let a little light into their room. Kevin’s waiting outside and motions him to move away from the door while miming at him to keep quiet.

In the quiet of the hallway it’s not hard for them to hear the kids talking softly to each other in the bedroom. After a little while the talking slows down to a complete stop, after a few more minutes Kevin nods at the bedroom door with a smile.

Sam moves quietly to the door, pushing it open gently.

Dean and Cas are fast asleep – curled towards one another with Buzzy in the middle. Both of them are holding on to it loosely in their sleep. Sam finds himself unable to resist taking a few pictures of them on his phone before heading back out of the room.

Kevin’s still standing in the hallway, smiling.

“Thanks for the help today, Kevin. I appreciate it.” Sam whispers back.

Kevin inclines his head in acknowledgement. “Night, Sam.” He says, heading off to his room.

Sam turns and heads off to his own room to get ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not in fact know how 4 year old kids talk (nor do I have any that young around to observe their speech patterns) though I did do some research and they have a pretty decent vocab and can struggle with some words until it evens out at about age 5 or 6. In this case, Dean has problems with hard 'r's from time to time


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next week, a routine starts to take shape.

In the morning, Sam would go out for a short jog an hour after sunrise – trying to stick to what he could of his old routine. Once he’d returned and showered, he’d go and wake the kids up to herd them to the kitchen for breakfast.

Back before the stuff with the spell had happened, Dean would usually whip something up for all of them most days. Sam isn’t a particularly good cook, and even though Kevin is good with breakfast foods, he isn’t a morning person which is why the four of them end up regularly eating cereal for breakfast.

After breakfast, Sam and Kevin would pore over whatever text they could find to figure out a way to break the curse. They’d leave Dean and Cas occupied with watching cartoons on the TV in Sam’s room until lunch time which either consisted of sandwiches, reheated leftovers or a trip to one of the nearby diners – not exactly the most healthy or ideal for young children.

It’d have been easier if the kids liked salads but Dean kicked up a huge fuss the one and only time a salad was even suggested to him.

“C’mon Dean, they’re good for-”

“NO SALAD!” Dean had yelled stubbornly, crossing his arms and staring up at Sam defiantly.

“Just try a little-”

“NO!”

Nice to see _some_ things don’t change with age.

To compensate for the poor diet, he’d take the kids out to the local park for an hour or two to get some fresh air and exercise. It gave the kids a chance to burn some excess energy while allowing Sam a short break from looking for a reversal spell. Kevin always opted out whenever Sam tried to invite him along, so he’d end up leaving him buried under various books.

Sometimes he wonders if Kevin knows how to take breaks because he can’t particularly recall seeing him take one.

Dinners often ended up as takeout that Sam would buy on the way home from the park – again, not ideal, but it was the only option they had considering the current circumstances. Of all of them, Dean was the best cook but since he was currently somewhere around four years old Sam wasn't in a hurry to let him get near the cooking knives or stove, attended or otherwise.

Putting them to sleep at night wasn't quite as easy as the first time of course; on the second night at the bunker Dean fussed for over half an hour – only agreeing to go to bed upon being promised a treat the next day.

Two nights after that, Cas was stubborn and insistent that he ‘ _was not tired and didn't need to go to bed yet since he wasn't a little child_ ’, which was an argument which should have been amusing considering the current situation, but really wasn't considering the amount of effort they had to put in to wrestle him into bed.

Putting him to bed that night almost resulted in a tantrum when Sam threatened to take Buzzy away from him if he didn't go to bed.

Other than a few small hiccups like these, things were going surprisingly well.

 

\--

 

“Sammy, let’s play somethin’.” Dean says.

“What, got bored watching cartoons?” Sam asks, turning to him. It’s been almost two weeks since the spell was cast and the continual torrent of rain had started two days ago. No one’s been able to go out since and apparently Dean was starting to get antsy being stuck in the bunker.

“Watchin’ TV all tha time’s _boring_. Lez’ play a game.” Dean says, turning on his puppy dog pout. Sam finds himself unable to resist that face and caves right away.

“Alright, what do you have in mind?” he asks. Dean thinks for a second.

“Hide n’ seek!” Dean exclaims. When Sam smiles and nods in agreement, he runs off yelling “I’ll go get Cas!”

Sam turns to look at Kevin who’s sitting across from him at the table, head propped up on his fist and giving him an amused look.

“I don’t know ‘bout you Kev, but I could use a break.” Sam says, closing his book and leaning back.

“I’m game. I am so gonna kick your ass, Winchester.”

“We’ll see.” Sam replies, grinning.

Within the first few rounds a few things became quickly obvious. The first is that Cas and Kevin are exceptionally good at hiding. The second is that there aren’t a lot of places for a 6’4”tall person to hide without being found easily.

At one point, Dean had decided to hide under Sam’s bed. It was actually a good hiding spot except for the fact that he had started giggling when Kevin started searching the room. It didn't take very long for him to find Dean after that.

They ended up playing until it’s well past dinnertime, only stopping when their stomachs started complaining about the lack of food they’d been given. Sam’s stomach had growled so loudly that Cas had looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

All in all, their rainy day in ended on a better note than expected.

 

\--

 

Kevin had finally let Dean and Cas out to play outside the bunker and it was _awesome_. Not that the bunker wasn't awesome – cuz it’s a huge place with lots of weird things Sammy wouldn't let them touch or get near which isn't so great – but staying inside all the time is so _boring_. Since the rain finally stopped, everything was all muddy and dirty.

Dean and Cas decided to play tag and chased each other around the bunker’s yard for a while; they even made a few mud pies before getting bored and just wandering around by themselves.

While he was wandering around, Dean found a bright blue stone. It was pretty, like Cas’ eyes. He rubbed off the mud onto his shirt, deciding he was gonna give it to Cas. He looked around, searching for Cas and found him squatting down near a tree, watching something.

“Cas!” Dean yells, running up to him. Cas looks up at him curiously and Dean’s courage leaves him momentarily.

“I, uh, I have somethin’ for ya.” Dean mumbles, looking down and kicking at the grass in front of him.

“What is it?” Cas asks curiously, standing up.

Dean quietly extends his hand, opening up his tiny fist to show the bright blue stone he’s holding. “I foun’ this. It’s blue, like your eyes.”

Cas takes it from him, giving him a big gummy smile. It makes Dean feel all warm and squirmy inside. It’s kinda weird but he decides he likes the feeling. “Thank you, Dean.”

“What were you lookin’ at, Cas?” Dean asks, looking down at the spot Cas had been watching before.

“I found a worm.” Cas says, reaching down to pick up the worm.

“Are you gonna eat it?” Dean asks.

“Of course not.” Cas says, moving the worm up to prop it on his upper lip. “I’m gonna wear it as a wormstache.”

Dean laughs, loud and bright. Cas grins.

 

\--

 

Letting the kids play outside was clearly a terrible idea.

It had rained for most of the second week – three days of continuous rain is not fun, especially when you’re cooped up inside the entire time, that’s for sure – and had only just stopped the previous day, so the ground was guaranteed to be muddy and wet.

Knowing that, Kevin would normally never let them out because them staying clean was absolutely out of the question. They’d been stuck inside with musty old books all week, and Kevin was a lot of things but he wasn't cruel enough to force them to be stuck inside any longer so he’d let them out to play while he pored over some old Greek texts from the bunker library that focused on transformation spells. He trusted the kids enough that they’d listen to him when he said they shouldn't run off into the surrounding forest.

Never _ever_ let a kid out to play when the ground is a muddy mush if you ever hope for them to stay clean.

They’d been outside for about an hour before Sam had called them back in for lunch.  Cas and Dean had run up to the bunker door, spattered from head to foot in mud. Sam just groans and turns around and walks back into the bunker, Cas and Dean following behind, nudging at each other and giggling happily.

Kevin looks up as they trot into the library.

“I didn't realize you were searching for mud monsters instead of the kids.”

“Ha ha, Kevin. Very funny. You’re a real comedian.”

“I like to think so” Kevin huffs. “You go give them a shower; I’ll clean up the mud you guys are tracking around.” He closes the book he was reading and heads off to get some cleaning supplies.

“C’mon ya little mud monsters, let’s go get you cleaned up” Sam says, grabbing their mud covered hands and dragging them to the bunker’s large bathroom.

Cas and Dean whine and squirm all the way.

 

\--

 

Once Kevin’s done cleaning up the mud on the floors and stairs, he heads over to the bunker’s communal bathroom to see how much luck Sam’s been having cleaning the boys up. He follows the sound of screeching laughter to the bathroom and finds Sam completely drenched while Dean and Cas are giggling up a storm at Sam’s predicament.

“I didn't realize you were planning to take a shower too.” Kevin says, smirking. “You look like a drowned moose.”

Sam glares at him from beneath wet bangs for a second before giving a huff of laughter. He reaches over for the shower hose and sprays water at Dean who screeches and tries to hide behind a still giggling Cas.

“Sammy, stop! I’m clean! No mo’ water!”

There’s a lot more giggling and wriggling before Sam is able to calm them down enough to finish bathing them and wrap them both up in giant fluffy towels.

Once he’s done, Sam looks down at himself – his t-shirt is soaked through and his jeans are completely weighed down with water. He’d track puddles everywhere if he stepped out of the bathroom now.

“Kevin, you think you could take these two brats and get them dressed? I figure I might as well take a bath since I’m halfway there already.” Sam says, gesturing at himself.

“Yeah, sure. C’mon munchkins, let’s go find some clothes for you to wear.” Kevin says, herding them out of the bathroom.

 

\--

 

It starts pouring again the next day, leaving the four of them confined to the bunker once more. Not really having anything else they could do for the day; Sam and Kevin decide to hit the books once more.

Sam thought he’d finally found a clue the previous night and they’d decided to check it. After a few hours of searching, it was obvious they’d hit a dead end. He was so aggravated by this – this false hope they had for a little while after two weeks of nothing but dead ends and reading late into the night – that he couldn't help but snap at Dean when he came up to pester Sam.

“Damn it, Dean!” Sam shouted. “You think it’s easy finding a reversal spell?! I can’t play with you all the time, so why don’t you just go find something else to do!”

He regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth, but it’s too late. The damage had already been done.

Dean stared up at him, eyes wide and bright with tears, lower lip trembling. He turned around and ran off.

“Wait, Dean.” Sam called. “Dean!”

 Sam sighed. He was about to go after Dean when Kevin stopped him.

“Sit down.” Kevin says, frowning at him. “Let him calm down and give yourself a chance a cool down too. Then you go and apologize to him.”

 

\--

 

Dean was missing. 

Sam had waited around ten minutes before trying to find Dean and apologize. He’d checked Dean’s room first, but the only person in there was Cas, busy reading a book.

“Hey Cas, have you seen Dean?” he asked.

“No. He said he was going to talk to you. He wants to play.” Cas replied, looking up from his book.

“Can you help me look for him? I need to apologize.”

“Are we playing hide and seek again?” Cas asked, looking confused.

“No, I uh, got a bit angry at him when he asked me to play. I might have upset him a bit, so I wanna apologize.”

“Alright.” Cas says, closing his book.

“Great. You go check mine and Kevin’s rooms, I’ll check the kitchen and the pantry. Meet me in the library.”

They met back at the library a few minutes later, neither of them having found Dean. The three of them proceed to check all the rooms in the bunker for any place that Dean could have hidden in, unable to find any sign of him. Kevin’s still searching the garage and basement. Sam’s starting to panic and Cas is already well past that, looking about ready to have a breakdown if they don't find Dean soon.

He just has to be somewhere in the bunker that they haven't checked yet. Unless... could Dean possibly have left the bunker?

There's a veritable forest surrounding the bunker for Dean to get lost in, not to mention the fact that it's pouring buckets outside. The sun was well on its way to setting and things were not looking good.

"Sam, I can't find Dean anywhere." Cas says, looking highly agitated.

"We'll find him Cas, promise." he reassures Cas. "I think I know where to look, but you have to go find Kevin and stay with him, okay?"

"No," Cas says firmly. "I’ll help you find Dean."

"Cas, it's pouring like crazy outside, I don't want you to get sick." Sam replies.

"No. We’ll find him together, Sam." Cas says, face serious and stern.

Sam sighs.

"Alright," he concedes "let's hurry then before it gets too dark."

 

\--

 

After about five minutes of shouting Dean's name and frantically searching the surrounding area they finally stumble upon Dean curled up under a tree, completely soaked.

"Dean!" Cas yells, running up to him.

Dean looks up hesitantly. "...Cas?"

Cas doesn't say anything, just pulls Dean up into a bone-crushing hug. He holds him close for a few seconds before pulling back.

“Don’t. Don’t _ever_ do that again, Dean.” Cas says, lower lip quivering in an effort to hold back whatever emotion is warring inside him. “Never leave me again.”

“Why d’you even want me ‘wound, Cas?” Dean asks, sniffling and hiccuping, making it harder to get the words out. Tears are running down his cheeks, mixing with the rain water dripping from his hair. “Can’t help Sammy or Kevin. I pwobably irri- irita- annoy you too, you’re just too nice to say anythin’.”

“Dean, no, I didn't mean it like that.” Sam says, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. “I was just having a bad day and trying to find a counter-spell has just been a little exhausting is all; I didn't mean to snap at you. It doesn't excuse my behavior, but I _am_ sorry.”

“Honest? You don’t wan’ me gone?” Dean asks doubtfully still hiccuping a bit, but at least the tears have stopped.

“Honest.” Sam replies earnestly. “You’re my brother, Dean, and I’ll always love having you around.”

“‘kay.” Dean mumbles before moving into hug Sam, burying his face in Sam’s neck. “Wuv you, Sammy.”

“Yeah.” Sam replies hoarsely, hugging him tightly. “Love you too, Dean.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going out in the rain has consequences

Of course Dean running out into the rain like that didn't come without repercussions. He was sneezing and sniffling for most of the following morning when he wasn’t busy hacking or having a coughing fit. By the time Sam checked his temperature, he was found to be running a low fever of 99.7 °F.

“Thwoat hurts, Sammy.” Dean whines, rubbing at his throat.

“I know buddy, I know. Let’s get you back to bed.” Sam hoists him up and carries him back to his room.

After tucking Dean in and making sure he drank some water, Sam heads to the kitchen to see if he can make some soup for Dean to drink. He hopes he remembers how to make it correctly.

 

\--

 

Dean peeks his head out from under the covers when Sam enters the room.

“I know you don’t really feel like eating with your sore throat, but you need to have something so I made you some soup.” Sam says, sitting down beside Dean and setting the bowl on the nightstand.

“‘kay.” Dean agrees. Sam hands over the bowl, making sure he isn't about to accidentally drop it. After a few sips, Dean looks up at him in surprise.

“You made momma’s soup?” Dean asks, awed.

“Yeah, I hope I did okay.” Sam says, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

“Thanks, Sammy.” Dean replied, taking small sips of soup. “Iz’ good”

 

\--

 

Over the next few days it becomes obvious that Dean has a throat infection and possibly a cold. Considering how long he might have been out there it could have been much worse. It’s a minor miracle that they avoided that potential disaster. Sam doesn't think he’s particularly capable of managing sick children.

Dean’s symptoms aren't too bad but he spends the first few days in bed, the infection making him tired and cranky. He isn't in the mood to interact with anyone, not even Cas. More often than not, Sam or Kevin would find Cas hiding somewhere in the library with Buzzy in his lap or by his side.

At one point, he’d hidden under one of the tables and Sam had almost kicked him unknowingly when he’d sat down in one of the chairs.

“Don’t kick Buzzy!” Sam had heard a voice complain from under the table. He stares at the table in surprise before peeking down to see Cas glaring at him.

“Hey buddy, what’re you doing under there?” Sam asks, moving to squat down in front of him.

“Dean kicked me out of the room.” Cas says, sulking.

“Don’t be too mad at him, he’s just not feeling well. It’s probably for the best anyway, we don’t want you catching it too.” Sam says, attempting to console him. It doesn't particularly work considering Cas is still glaring at him like all of this is his fault – which it kinda is, and he should probably start working on making amends for that.

“Hey, how about we go out for some ice-cream?”

“What about Dean?”

“Dean can’t have any ice cream until after his throat infection is gone.” Cas doesn't stop frowning though he’s at least toned down the glare a few notches. “I promise we’ll take him out for ice cream once he’s better, okay?”

“Okay.” Cas agrees. “Let’s go get ice cream.”

 

\--

 

“Sam?” Cas says softly.

“Yeah, Cas?” Sam replies, eating another spoonful of his rocky road ice cream. It’s one of the few indulgences he allows himself.

“Were we friends… before?” Cas asks, not looking up from his scoop of chocolate chip ice cream. Sam gives him a confused look.

“What makes you ask that?” Sam asks back, curious as to what prompted that question. Cas shrugs – it’s a much more natural movement than when he was an ‘adult’ – but says nothing more. Cas wasn't particularly chatty as an adult and he wasn't much chattier as a child either; so it’s not exactly commonplace for him to be the one starting the conversation let alone on such an unusual question.

“We've had some bumps in the roads over the years, but yeah, I consider us to be friends. Back then and now.”

Cas gives him a small smile, eyes lighting up with happiness. “Good.”

 

\--

 

Its late one evening during the following week when Sam gets the call from Garth.

The kids were already tucked into bed and Kevin had decided to call it a night early for once, leaving Sam alone with his research in the library. He’s in the middle of reading through an old Scandinavian spell book so he’s not paying attention when he gropes for his phone and answers the call. “Hello?”

“Hiya Sam, its Garth. Listen, are you-”

“Garth!” Sam exclaims. “Man, I've been trying to call you for weeks. I thought you were dead. What happened?”

“Oh, uh, sorry. Me and a buddy were trackin’ down a vamp’s nest for a while some time last month. My phone got trashed in the process. This here’s my new number.” Garth says. “Anyways, I called you ‘cause I might have a job for you. There’s been word of werewolf activity at Boulder, Colorado; you’re not too far from there and I figure its right up your alley.”

“I can’t. I have a situation going on here that’s taken priority. That’s why I was trying to get a hold of you.” Sam says, leaning back in his seat. “We were trying to take out a witch about a month ago and she got the upper hand on Dean and Cas. She turned them into kids. I got rid of her and destroyed her spell books and hex bags, didn't do anything for the situation. We've been searching for a solution ever since. No luck so far.”

“Oh man, that’s terrible. Spells aren't really my strong suit. Tell ya what – I’ll ask around and see if there’s someone who can help you. I’ll put some feelers out and let you know if I hear anything. Call me if you think there’s anything I can help with.”

“Thanks man. I appreciate it.” Sam says. They both say their goodbyes and hang up.

A month had already passed and they've yet to find a solution – by this point it’s pretty unlikely that they’ll magically ‘poof’ themselves back to normal, but to have one more person looking feels like marginal progress at least.

 

\--

 

By the time Dean finally kicks the throat infection completely, almost one and a half months have passed. Sam figures its due cause for a celebration. He’s thinking of making a day of it to let the kids have fun and be kids, with the added side bonus of giving the grown-ups a chance to take a day off from the research and relax. It takes a little wrangling but he’s able to get Kevin to come along with them as well.

They decide on making it a day-long road trip holiday of sorts, driving over to Nebraska and spending the day there. Their first stop is at the Children’s Museum of Central Nebraska in Hastings.

Before they’d set out on the road trip, Sam had taken it upon himself to do a little research into fun places he could take the kids and ended up finding the children’s museum online. It looked like a fun place for the kids to hang out in for a while. He’s pleased with his decision when he sees the glee on the kids’ faces when he sets them loose in the builder’s zone.

They stick around there for about an hour, during which Dean and Cas try to make houses and skyscrapers out of the large building blocks with the help of a cute little brunette in pigtails that they befriended. Once some of the structures get too high for them to add to it Dean ropes Sam into helping them move certain sections around as he sees fit till they’re pleased with the final product. Kevin makes them all stand together in front of it so he can take some pictures.

They take a break for lunch before checking out the doctor’s office exhibit. Once again, they rope Sam into joining them, with Cas as the doctor and Dean as his nurse, treating Sam’s ‘injuries’.

“When you get an owie, you gots’ ta’ bandage it.” Dean says, sticking a plaster onto Sam’s forearm.

“You need to make sure it doesn't become worse.” Cas says in what he considers a serious ‘doctor’ voice.

“We need t’check your heart, make sure it’s okay.” Dean says, handing the stethoscope over to Cas. He puts the hearing pieces into his ears and then places the main part onto Sam’s chest over his t-shirt and listens for a few seconds, frowning.

“Your heart isn't beating.” Cas tells him, confused.

“Maybe that’s because I’m a zombie!” Sam says, reaching forward to tickle Cas. He squeals and giggles loudly, squirming to get out of Sam’s grip. Once he’s breathless with laughter, Sam turns on Dean. Seeing that he’s the next target, Dean screeches and runs to hide behind Kevin’s legs.

“Don’t let tha’ zombie get me!” Dean yells.

Sam tries to get at him from either side of Kevin for a minute before relenting.

“Alright, alright. The zombie’s gonna take a break, no more tickling.” Sam says, straightening up. Dean looks at him dubiously, shakes his head and remains hiding behind Kevin.

Not long after that, they’re back on the road again to their second destination for the day – a petting zoo in Lincoln. It’s an almost two hour drive out, but it’s worth it when they let the kids loose to go play with the animals.

Cas absolutely adores the guinea pigs, holding one carefully in his lap and petting it with a beatific smile on his face like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. Dean’s favorite turns out to be the baby goats – a little black and white one in particular takes quite a shine to Dean, jumping around him and gently butting him in the side. They chase each other around the pen for some time, Sam taking pictures all the while.

While Sam and Kevin had been watching the kids an alpaca had snuck up behind them and started chewing on the edge of Kevin’s t-shirt.

“What is it?” Kevin asks, eyes on the phone in his hands. 

“What’s what?” Sam asks back, not looking away from the kids.

“What’re you tugging at my shirt for?”

“…I’m not.” Sam says, turning to look at Kevin in confusion. He blinks in surprise. “Um, Kevin?”

“What?” Kevin says, looking up from his phone. He turns around and comes face to face with the alpaca, serenely chewing the strip of his shirt it had managed to tear off.

“Holy sh- crap!” Kevin says, backpedaling away. “My clothes aren't food! Shoo! Get lost!”

Sam’s too busy falling over laughing to be of any help. Eventually though, the alpaca gets bored of Kevin’s shouting and flailing and wanders away. He’s adamant that they leave soon before something else decides his clothes are worth snacking on, so they gather the kids up and head out. Cas gives a morose look at the guinea pigs before following after Sam.

“Hey, cheer up Cas. We’ll go get you guys some ice cream, how does that sound?” Sam asks, driving out of the parking lot.

“Ice cweam!” Dean cheers.

Their last stop of the day is an ice cream parlor they’d passed by on the way to the petting zoo. Dean and Cas share an ice cream sundae between them, Sam buys himself a large scoop of rocky road in a cup and gets Kevin a scoop of cookies and cream on a cone.

Having been mollified by the ice cream and exhausted by their exciting day, Cas and Dean snooze in the backseat all the way home.

_‘It’s been a long while since we've had days like this, just living like anyone else.’_  Sam thinks.

He can’t say this kinda thing will happen often – regardless of the outcome of whether they can undo the spell or not, but he wouldn't complain if it happened once in a while. It’s nice to be able to enjoy the simple things they fought and died to save.


	5. Chapter 5

Finally, after another two months, Kevin finds the solution.

“I got it!” Kevin exclaims, slamming his hands down on the table. He moves over to Sam and hands him the book he’d been reading.

“There.” He says, pointing to one particular paragraph. “It looks like a jumble of different archaic languages but there’s some really old Latin mixed in there too. My Latin is more than a little rusty, but I think those words there say something about transformations and reversing it. I think it goes onto list the ingredients for a counter spell but it’s hard to make out.”

“I think I have someone who might be able to help with that.” Sam says, reaching for his phone and dialing a number.

“Hey Charlie, I have something I need your help with.”

 

\--

 

“Wait, so let me get this straight. You guys got on a witch’s bad side; she got pissed and turned my handmaiden and his angel boyfriend into kids?”

“Actually, we were tracking her down to stop her. But yeah.” Sam says with a sigh.

“Alright, I’m in. I’ll be there by tomorrow.”

“Wait, what?” Sam says, surprised. “Charlie you don’t have to come down here, I’ll just send you a scan of the files.”

“I can help you guys look after the kids while my computer does what she’s good at.”

“We've been looking after them for almost four months now; I think we can handle them for a few more days.”

“Doesn't matter, I’m coming over. Bye, Sam!” Charlie says cheerily, hanging up. Sam turns to Kevin, an amused smile on his face.

“Looks like the Queen is coming.”

 

\--

 

As promised, Charlie arrives sometime late in the afternoon the following day, yammering excitedly as Sam guides her back to the bunker.

“Where are the lil munchkins? I wanna see ‘em.” Charlie grins.

“They’re downstairs in the library, come on.” Sam says, motioning to her to follow him.

The kids are busy poring over an old storybook Cas had found when Sam calls out to them to get their attention.

“Guys, I want you to meet someone.” Sam says as Charlie moves to stand next to him.

“Hey there kiddos. I’m the Queen, but you can call me Charlie.”

“Charlie meet Cas and Dean. Cas and Dean, meet Charlie. She’s here to help us out.”

“She’s gonna help read the weird scwibbles?” Dean asks, staring at her curiously.

“Yup.” Charlie replies cheerfully, popping the ‘p’ at the end of the word.

“C’mon, the books are over here.” Sam says, guiding her to one of the desks.

 

\--

 

Charlie had fed the scans into her laptop a half hour ago to decode and had been fiddling around on her tablet when Dean wanders into the otherwise empty room and walks up to her.

“Are you really a queen?” Dean asks, fascination and interest clear on his face.

“You bet. I’m a cyber queen and also the reigning queen of Moondor. And you-” she says, leaning forward to tap him on the nose “were my handmaiden.”

“I was?” Dean asks, staring up at her in awe. “Wait, tha’s a girl’s thing, isn’ it?”

“Nah, anyone can be handmaiden to the queen.”

They’re both quiet for a few minutes before Charlie speaks. “So, you looking forward to going back to normal?”

“I don’ ‘member what tha’s like.” Dean replies honestly.

“No perks for you to look forward to when changing back?” she questions.

“I’ll get ta’ drive the car!”  Dean grins.

“That _is_ a good perk.”She acknowledges. “Hey, you wanna stick around while my baby does her work? I could sure use the company.”

“Sure.” Dean replies easily, climbing up onto the chair next to hers.

 

\--

 

Once the text’s translated they finally have the list of ingredients for the reversal spell along with the incantation required to put the spell into effect.

“-crushed pixie wings, mermaid scales… hair of a unicorn?” Kevin reads out, perplexed. “Oh great, so apparently unicorns exist now. How do we even get unicorn hair? Or mermaid scales for that matter?”

“The bunker has a ton of items for casting spells; the men of letters have a pretty good inventory. If we’re lucky it’ll have all the things we need for this spell.” Sam replies.

“So where do we start looking?” Charlie asks.

“We can start by checking the storeroom.”

 

\--

 

It takes over three hours of searching but they’re able to get all of the items on the spell list. All except for mermaid scales.

“Where in the world are we gonna find mermaid scales?” Sam asks, irritated.

“I’d suggest the ocean.” Charlie quips. “How good are you at swimming?”

Before Sam can retort, his phone rings.

“Hey Garth, what’s up?”

“I tried asking around for a solution to your problem, but all of my contacts were a bust. You guys have any progress breakin’ that spell?” Garth says, his voice crackling over the phone’s speaker.

“Actually, yeah. We found a counter spell, but we have a bit of a hitch. The spell calls for mermaid scales and that kinda thing isn't easy to come by.”

“I think I might be able to help you with that actually.” Garth says. “I have an ol’ buddy who runs a hunter’s shop, trades in stuff required in our trade, if you know what I mean. I’ll call her up and see if she has any on stock. If she does, I’ll FedEx it to you overnight.”

“Thanks man, I appreciate it.” Sam says, ending the call and turning to the others. “Looks like we might get those mermaid scales after all.”

Kevin and Charlie high five each other.

 

\--

 

As promised, the mermaid scales arrive the next day and it doesn't take them long to mix up the potion for the reversal spell. Once the kids have drunk the potion, all Sam will have to do is read out the spell and that should do the trick. Kevin hands Cas and Dean the potion before moving back to stand beside Sam and Charlie.

Dean takes a small sip of the potion before he starts to gag.

“It’s icky, Sammy!” Dean says, scowling and trying to rub the taste off of his tongue.

“It’s no chocolate milkshake, I’ll give you that.” Kevin agrees, having gotten a good whiff of the gag-worthy potion while mixing it up. “Look, just pinch your nose and gulp it down real fast. That way you’ll barely taste anything.”

Dean looks doubtful but does as he’s told and drinks the entire thing all at once. He coughs a bit after but makes no more complaints.

“Now it’s your turn, Cas.” Sam prompts. Cas makes a face as he drinks but stubbornly powers through until he’s drank it all.

“You ready, Sam?” Kevin asks. Sam’s going to be the one saying the reversal spell, he and Charlie are just sticking around to make sure nothing goes wrong.

“Yeah. Here goes nothing.” Sam starts chanting the incantation, voice getting slowly louder as he reaches the end.

_“Dīmittō maledicti mutationem, redeo quis suus statium!”_

As soon as Sam is done chanting the spell, a thick smoke explodes in the room making everyone cough.

“Congratulations Sam, it seems the spell has worked.” They hear Cas say, his voice back to its normal gravel-deep baritone levels.

“Cas?” Sam asks, getting enough breath to ask before inhaling more of the smoke and coughing harder.

“You – did it – Sammy.” Dean says, barely able to get out the words between coughs.

Once the smoke dissipates Sam, Kevin and Charlie are able to see that – yes, Dean and Cas are finally back to normal. It takes a few seconds before everyone realizes that while Dean and Cas are adults again, they are currently very naked adults.

“What the fuck?! Why the hell am I naked, Sammy?!” Dean screams, moving a hand to cover himself.

“It seems that our clothes did not change with us when we reverted back to our normal ages. Erroneous thinking, considering how our old clothes were unaffected by the spell previously.” Cas tells him. Without thinking, Dean turns to look at Cas and gets an eyeful of him standing there completely naked and uncaring of the fact.

“Fuck, Cas! Cover up!” Dean shouts, immediately turning to look at a nearby wall. A bright blush is tinting his cheeks and ears, he can feel it. There is no way he’s gonna be able to look at anyone else right now.

“Right, clothes. I’ll go get them. Right now. C’mon guys.” Sam chokes out, trying to hold in his laughter. He grabs onto the sleeve of Charlie’s hoodie to drag her along, the both of them practically tripping over their own feet in their haste to leave the room.

“Right behind you Sam.” Kevin says, hightailing it out of the room behind them. They don’t get very far before they burst into laughter.

 

\--

 

Dean glares after them, the sounds of their laughter easily reaching him.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Dean.” Cas says, turning to frown at Dean.

“Yeah well, I don’t make a habit of prancing around in my birthday suit _in front of a teenage prophet, my sort of sister and  my brother._ ” Dean retorts, voice pitching up in embarrassment.

“It is man’s natural state, Dean. It’s surprisingly freeing.” Cas says, interest and curiosity obvious in his voice.

Dean turns to glare at him, only to find Cas staring at him intently. His blush turns deeper, spreading down to his chest.

“Cut it out, Cas.” Dean hisses, stubbornly forcing himself to make eye contact with Cas. “You've seen all of this before, you remade me, remember?”

“I remember.” Cas replied. Dean wasn't entirely sure if he was imagining that hint of smugness in his tone or not.

“Yeah well, I haven’t changed that much over the years, so you can quit tryin’ to refresh your memory. ‘Sides, I’m not much to look at.” Dean mutters, losing the battle of maintaining eye contact with Cas.

“On the contrary, Dean. You are quite beautiful.”

Dean groans. “Man, I've told you before that you can’t use that word to describe other guys, or me for that matter.”

“An exquisitely handsome specimen of humanity, then.”

Dean’s blush gets darker. Cas is apparently succeeding on his new mission to fluster him as much as possible.

They’re both quiet for a few moments, Dean not looking at Cas and Cas sneaking glances at Dean because he realized that his embarrassed reaction implied that he didn't much appreciate being stared at and would possibly become upset were he to catch him at it again. Dean appreciates the quiet, but there’s a question on his lips itching to be asked, it’s not important but a masochistic or sadistic part of him – he’s not sure which – wants to know and he’s unable to resist asking.

“How much do you remember?”

Cas hesitates to answer, which makes Dean quit his staring contest with the wall to sneak a peek at Cas’ face to gauge his expression and try to figure out what’s running through his mind. He looks as if he’s debating with himself over what to say, a wary expression on his face as he eyes Dean.

He realizes he’s a little bit afraid of what Cas might say and he’s no longer sure if he wants to hear it.

They both open their mouth to speak at the same time, but before anyone can say anything the others return with their clothes and that’s the end of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Edit:** Changed the latin spell words as suggested by Angel_made_of_scars. I claim no actual knowledge of Latin so let's hope the words I used for 'cursed change' didn't throw the sentence structure out of whack. 
> 
> The stuff that Sam is chanting is this (I hope): dismiss the cursed change, return them to what they once were


	6. Epilogue

Dean hovers outside Cas’ room, debating whether or not to knock or stroll right in. Nah, that’d be rude; they've already been tiptoeing around each other for the past week since the spell broke and mending any potential broken bridges between them doesn't start with acting like a  caveman.

There’s no noise coming from the room, but the door’s closed which only happens when Cas is actually in the room, since he keeps it ajar otherwise. It’s unlikely he’s gonna interrupt anything so he gives a quick rap on the door before walking in.

“Hey Cas, I wanted to ask-” Dean starts to say, walking into Cas’ room. His voice trails off when he sees Cas sitting on his bed, staring at what looks like an old shoe box in his lap with a fond expression on his face.

“Hello, Dean.” Cas says, looking up at him, the soft fondness still visible. “Did you need something?”

“Was gonna ask you what you wanted to have for dinner.” Dean says offhandedly, attention caught by the box in Cas’ lap. He edges closer to take a better look at its contents. “What’s that?”

Cas hesitates a moment, tightening his grip on the box before turning it to show the box to Dean instead of answering. Upon closer inspection, he finds some colorful pebbles, a bunch of dried flowers, a few feathers and a slightly jagged glass shard among other things.

He drops down heavily besides Cas, shocked.

“You remember?” Dean asks softly, voice barely loud enough for him to hear. Cas purses his lips, and then gives him a slow, stiff nod.

“How much?” Asking this means he’d probably end up veering the conversation into territories he’d rather avoid like the plague, but… he has to know how much Cas remembers.

Cas tenses up, his muscles bunched tight in preparation for a fight or flight response. He’s nervous and uncomfortable and looking everywhere but at Dean himself. Of course this would be the one conversation he has with the guy where they both want to run for the hills to avoid the topic.

“How much, Cas?”

“…All of it.” He replies hesitantly, speaking to the wall in front of him instead of looking at Dean. The room falls silent, the tenseness between them hanging thick in the air.

“Gotta say, I’m kinda surprised you still kept all that junk I gave you as a kid.” Dean says after a few minutes, in an attempt to diffuse the situation. He realizes a little too late that it wasn't quite the right thing to say.

“They may be ‘junk’ to you, but they are _invaluable_ to me.” Cas’ jaw is clenched tight and his shoulders are raised up and stiff, like he’s upset and defensive. It’s much more of a reaction than Dean was expecting for his throwaway comment.

“Cas, I didn't- ”

“No, Dean.” Cas says, interrupting any apologies Dean might have attempted to voice. “Since our escape from Purgatory I've become weaker – I am essentially human at this point. I have become useless and cumbersome to all of you while I fumble to understand how to survive and I regret that I wasn't strong enough to protect you from something you would clearly rather have not gone through; but I will not throw away what you gave to me as a child, meaningless as it is to you.”

He hesitates for a moment – debating with himself on how much he intends to admit – before continuing.

“There are so many ways in which I have wronged you over the years we have known each other. Almost as many as the times I have ‘screwed up’ while trying to fix my mistakes.” Cas says, looking weary and resigned with what he’s admitting. “Saying I’m sorry will never be enough, nor do I ever deserve to be free of the weight of my wrongdoings. But, to forget all my sins for a while was… peaceful. The spell was as much a curse to you as it was a gift to me. Something I have done nothing to deserve, but I intend to cherish the memories of it that these possessions give me.”

“Cas.” Dean says softly. Castiel looks up at him, only for a second before looking back at the contents of his box.

“Did you know, Dean, that in all my existence I have never truly owned anything of my own? My angel blade doesn't really count. And this body-” Cas cuts himself off for a moment, jaw clenching tightly. “Jimmy deserved better than this, he was a good man and his body was never meant to be mine to keep, but he’s gone and I’m… all alone in here.”

“The body I’m in, the clothes I’m wearing,” Cas says, indicating his body “don’t belong to me, but at least these things – what you call junk – are _mine._ ” Cas says, tightening his grip on the box, pulling it closer to himself. As if he’s trying to protect it from Dean. He’s still upset, that much is obvious, but it’s not as much as he when he started. Looking at him, Cas looks sad and tired.

“Man, I’m sorry about Jimmy, I really am. But you can’t ask me to be sorry about the fact that it means you’re still around ‘cause I can’t be sorry for that. You’re my best friend, Cas,” Dean says, clasping at Cas’ shoulder “and having you here and alive is something I’m not gonna be sorry for. And you might be a screw up, but hey, guess what? We’re all screw ups here. So you ain't special or specially terrible for that.”

“As for the clothes, they’re yours if you want ‘em, or like, we can get your own if you don’t like them. And about the stuff,” Dean says, removing his hand off of Cas’ shoulder to indicate the box “I didn't mean it like you think, I just… figured you deserved better stuff than what you’d find lying around in the dirt outside I guess.”

“You gave them to me, Dean. That’s all that matters.” Dean blushes, a light pink dusting his cheeks and highlighting his freckles but he attempts to brush aside the statement.

“Yeah, roadside tchotchke given by a kid with a huge crush is a real treasure, ain't it?” Dean says without thinking. He stares up, eyes wide and shoulders tense when he realizes what he let slip.

“I, uh-” he stutters, staring at Cas who looks away, shoulders slumping. Dean looks down at his hands.

He could deny it, Cas is even expecting him to and he could pretend he didn't admit to something he never really planned to admit to anyone, and life could go on. But then he remembers the little trinkets Cas gave him in return as well, the ones he hid carefully at the very back of his cupboard, away from prying eyes.

If this was a story, Sam would say Cas’ actions and intentions mirror Dean’s, but this isn't a story and he’s terrified to work on hypotheticals, because what if he’s wrong and he ruins things and loses his best friend?

 Or even still, if he’s actually right.

He’s not sure he’s ready for this, never thought this would be a possibility even though everything Cas has done for him over the years should have given him some idea of how much he means to the guy. He doesn't know what he’d do being that important to someone; it’s not like with Sam because it’s different, he’s always needed Sam more than Sam ever needed him, his life has proved that over and over again. He might not survive needing someone else as much and then losing them, and losing Cas would _ruin_ him, he’s certain. It’s the coward’s way out but it’s better if he just denies it and allows Cas the opportunity to find someone better suited for him. It’ll hurt but hopefully time will do its thing and the ache in Dean’s chest will lessen over the years. He looks back up at Cas because he intends to be man enough to at least face him and say no, even if it means he has to watch Cas’ eyes cloud over with pain that he’s going to cause.

While Dean had been busy tackling his inner turmoil, Cas never even bothered to move, still sitting with his head down and shoulders slumped as if he didn't even have the strength to brace himself for the blow of Dean’s words.

The fight to deny it goes out of him.

“Cas.” Dean says softly.

“I know, Dean.” Cas says tiredly, as if the effort it takes to speak is too much. He doesn't look up. “You don’t have to say anything. We can move on as if it never happened.”

“Cas, look at me.”

He looks up warily.

“Look, I’m only gonna say this once.” Dean says, rubbing at the back of his head and looking away for a moment because he’s so nervous that he can’t breathe and looking at Cas is making it worse. But no, he’s not gonna chicken out this time, so he turns back to look Cas in the eye.

“What I said earlier wasn't… inaccurate exactly. Wait, damn it I sound like a fuckin’ sissy. I, uh… fuck, I _like_ you, okay?” Dean blurts out. Cas isn't dumb, he might miss social cues a shit ton of times but he has to understand what Dean means because he’s not sure he’s able to put it in more explicit terms.

Cas looks up, lips parted and eyes wide.

“You don’t have to say nothin’, I just figured you should know, I guess.” Dean huffs out after a few seconds.

Cas isn't saying anything, just sitting there and gaping at him. Maybe he was wrong about this, maybe Cas is gonna reject him. This was a stupid idea after all, but he’d let it slip out so easily that he doubts he’d have been able to keep it secret for long anyway. But saying it at some unforeseen point in the future would be better than this dreadfully anxious waiting for Cas to just do _something_.

“I like you too.” Cas says hurriedly once he gets over his shock. He makes an aborted movement to reach for him, in an aim to do what, he doesn't know. “I more than like you, Dean. I-”

“I get it, Cas. You don’t have to say it.”

The room goes quiet, both of them momentarily uncertain on how to proceed.

“What does this mean... for us?” Cas asks hesitantly, sounding hopeful and nervous.

“Whatever you want it to be, Cas.” Dean shrugs, trying to pretend he’s calm about this when in truth his heart is hammering against his rib cage so hard it’s liable to beat right out of his chest. It’s a wonder Cas can’t hear it.

“I… I like how we are. I value your friendship, Dean, and I don’t want that to change. But I would like for it to be more.” Cas says, peeking up at Dean through his eyelashes nervously. “Human lives are so short and transient and I would like to enjoy what limited span of life I have with you, if you are amenable to it.”

“Yeah.” Dean says softly, before clearing his throat and speaking more normally. “Yeah, I’m more than amenable to it. And hey, no matter what happens you’ll always be my best friend, Cas.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Dean says firmly, reaching out to clasp Cas’ hand and entwining their fingers together.

                                                                          

Cas smiles, soft and pleased.

They stare at each other with goofy, love-struck smiles on their face for some unknown period of time before Cas speaks.

“I think I-”

“Dean!” Sam’s voice interrupts Castiel, echoing through the hall to them, with the sound of his footsteps following right after. They both jump back to the opposite ends of the bed guiltily, as if they were about to be caught doing something they shouldn't.

“I’m starving and you guys are sitting here chatting away. You promised me burgers, dude.” Sam says leaning against the doorway. He blinks, suddenly becoming aware of the strangely tense atmosphere in the room.

“Did I interrupt something?” he asks, straightening up.

“Nuh-uh, nope. Didn't interrupt a thing, Sammy. Cas and I were just shooting the shit. C’mon, let’s go feed your giant lazy ass.” Dean says, jumping up and clapping his hands together. He moves to the door to herd his brother out into the hall before stopping at the doorway and turning back to look at Cas.

A smile twitches at the corner of his lips as he stares fondly at him, and he looks happier than Castiel can recall him being in recent memory.

“You coming?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's the end of that. 
> 
> Kidding. I'm planning on making this into a series and adding a few time-stamps and sequels to this, so keep an eye out for it.


End file.
